Two Broken Leaves (KakaNaru)
by jorgiamk
Summary: Sasuke is a rogue ninja intent on destroying the Hidden Leaf . Naruto left the village when he was 16 vowing he would never return until he brought Sasuke back. 3 years later Kakashi was given a mission to assassinate Sasuke in order to protect the hidden leaf which he is having trouble doing when he bumps into his Jinchuriki student from the past. This story is about what follows.
1. Chapter 1 Familiar faces

A/N  
This is my first story so I welcome all reviews and advice please :)

Chapter 1~

Kakashi Hatake pulled down his mask which he seldom did in public and ordered a drink (another rarity for him). He was sat in some dingy bar in some small town god knows where.  
Kakashi was exhausted. He had been searching for a rogue ninja who was a serious threat to the Hidden Leaf. The same rouge ninja who was once the broken little boy that Kakashi had taught all those years ago, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke was intent on destroying the hidden leaf village and had killed hundreds of citizens of Konaha in his last brutal attack.  
Kakashis mission was to find him and kill him which he was having a lot of difficulty with. Possibly the reason that Kakashi was having so much trouble finding him despite his excellent tracking skills was because a big part of him didn't want to.

_How pathetic_. Kakashi thought bitterly to himself downing his drink.  
_I'm as useless a ninja as I am a sensei..First I fail at keeping the young Uchiha in the village, now Narutos gone too and I'm too caught up in emotions to save my village from the student I raised._  
Kakashi had been carrying the burden of his broken team for so long now, It had been 7 years since Sasuke had left the village and 3 since Naruto followed vowing he would never return to the leaf until he brought Sasuke back with him.  
_Foolish child .. he had so much promise and would probably be in line to be the next Hokage if he hadn't ran off. One like the village has never seen._  
The thoughtful ninja stroked his silver stubble and sighed sadly.  
He almost fell off the chair in shock and hurried to pull his mask back up when a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Uhh… Sensei?"

He would have recognized that voice anywhere. A bit deeper than the last time he heard it all those years ago and it lacked its usual energy. It sounded tired. Just like Kakashi felt.  
His mask back intact he turned around and addressed his former student, his one visible eye widened in shock at the sight before him.  
The boy looked tatty at the best of times when Kakashi knew him but this was something different.  
His normally bright yellow hair looked dirty and instead of spiking up it was limp and tangled.  
His face was unshaven with rough patches of overgrown stubble covering his chin and upper lip unevenly.  
The young man was wearing a white t-shirt with stains covering it and mustard coloured shorts.  
What shocked Kakashi more than anything else was his eyes. Those big blue eyes never lacked enthusiasm or energy. The bright spark in them was gone and had been replaced by…nothingness.  
His blue eyes drooped as he stood before his former sensei hunched and hands buried in mustard pockets.  
"Naruto. This certainly is a surprise" The silver haired shinobi finally muttered in response.


	2. Chapter 2 Drunken confessions

_A/N Please read and review. Much appreciated xx_

Kakashi snuck a glance at the mess of a man beside him. The silence between them was getting awkward but neither man was in the mood to talk.

Finally Naruto spoke.  
Looking at Kakashi with big emotionless orbs he said  
"So what brings you here? I'm guessing you're on a mission."  
Kakashi didn't have the heart to tell him that he had been sent to kill the kids once best friend so he crinkled his eye in a phony smile and replied "Yes, easy mission really. Just tracking down a stray ninja"  
Naruto half smiled but it looked strained and uncomfortable and then looked back down at the dirty bar.  
"What must you think of me? I couldn't save one friend and I heard what he did to the leaf. I can never show my face there again. I'm not worthy of being a shinobi. Sasuke was right. I am a loser"  
The older ninja heard a faint slurring in the younger man's voice and watched him gulp down another drink. He sighed. _Is this what his promising young student had become?_

"I understand how you feel Naruto."  
Naruto cocked his head in curiosity and watched his sensei. Waiting..  
"When I look at you all I can think of is my own failures. I failed you Naruto and I failed Sasuke and I'm sorry. You are a great ninja and the village needs you. You are not a loser. The village thinks of you as a hero. Why do you care so much about what Sasuke thinks of you?"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in response. Why did he care so much what Sasuke thought of him. That was something even he had never figured out.

"You know some people think you may have had stronger emotions for him then you let on" Kakashi said coyly looking at Naruto out of the corner of his eye for his response but surprisingly Naruto didn't react. Just continued staring at the bar.  
"If that is indeed the case and you did have feelings for him you need to try and move on" he said gently "Because you are one of the greatest ninjas the leaf village has ever seen and only you can protect us from Sasuke. Getting caught up in your emotions is not the way of the shinobi" Kakashi said hypocritically.

A long silence followed Kakashis words. Kakashi watched as Naruto fiddled with his empty glass and ordered yet another drink. He looked lost in thought as he sipped on his fresh drink figuring out a way to respond.

"Sensei…how would I know if I did have feelings for him…ya know like more than a friend?"  
Kakashi smiled a genuine smile at his awkwardness. He had always been fond of Naruto and it was so good to see him again. Even if it was like this.. in a dingy bar both drowning in their sorrows.

"Well I suppose the obvious way to recognize it would be if you've had um sexual thoughts about him" Kakashi stuttered in a very un Kakashi-like manner.

The scruffy man laughed bitterly in response.  
"That wouldn't tell me anything. I am truly Pervy Sages student after all.  
I have had those kind of thoughts about pretty much everyone.  
Yes I have thought about Sasuke like that, and Sakura.  
and even you Sensei"

Naruto laughed in a way which sounded to Kakashi exactly how Jiraiya used to laugh,  
exaggerated and fake sounding.  
The similarities haunted Kakashi sending chills down his spine.

_Boy he must really be hurting even more then he's letting on._  
It pained the shinobi to see a former student like this looking so close to how Kakashi felt except Kakashi was much better at concealing the pain in his heart.

"Come on Naruto let's get you back eh?" he smiled warmly.  
"Uhh where too?" Naruto stammered.  
"My hotel"  
Kakashi grabbed a very drunk Naruto Uzamaki by his arm and dragged him down from the stool.  
His mission had just got very complicated indeed.


	3. Chapter 3 Messy Misunderstandings

Naruto looked around giddily as he watched his former sensei struggle to unlock the door.  
Wow he really had drunk more then he realised, he was quite often intoxicated these days.  
He leant against the wall to keep his balance_. Why did Kakashi taken me back to his room?_ Naruto thought suddenly.  
_Oh my gosh. He probably intends to take advantage of me  
_Narutos eyes widened as he looked at the older ninja warily.  
_I shouldn't have told him I'd thought about him like that_ Naruto started to panic slightly.

"There we go" Kakashi turned around smiling at Naruto with one eye.  
Naruto smiled back uneasily trying to keep his distance.  
_Maybe Kakashi is a perv after all I mean he's always got his head stuck in those pervy books._

Kakashi gestured at Naruto to come in looking slightly amused. The nervous young man shuffled forward cautiously keeping both eyes on the silver haired ninja suspiciously.

The room was small and dimly lit. The first thing Naruto noticed was there was only one bed which set the man off into a panic.  
He looked at Kakashi with frightened eyes only to see Kakashi pulling his shirt up over his masked head.

"Uhhh..Sensei" Naruto stammered.  
Kakashi looked at the frightened young man with one eye. _What an earth is he in such a panic about?._  
"What is it Naruto?" came the calm reply.  
"I think I'm going to head off now ya know um I think you may have the wrong idea about when I said that stuff but uhh it was nice to see you again sensei"  
Naruto smiled exaggeratedly and rubbed the back of his head as he backed away from the half naked man.

Kakashi giggled. And the giggle turned into uproarious laughter.  
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. If he was nervous before he was terrified now. He stared in shock at the image of the calm man he used to know who had apparently lost his cool.  
Finally Kakashi seemed to contain himself.

"Relax Naruto. I think we could both use some company that's all. Now if you don't mind I'm going to have a shower"

Naruto scowled, slightly embarrassed and extremely creeped out by the out of character laughter _He's not the same as he used to be _the blonde man pondered.

He glanced at the stranger staring back at him in the mirror. _I guess he probably thinks the same about me._

Naruto pulled off his clothes and tossed them aside. Standing there in his underwear he placed a hand on his stomach. _The fox must be getting bored_ he chuckled to himself. _It's been so long since he came out to play.  
_Feeling overwhelmed by drowsiness Naruto climbed drunkenly into the big bed and sunk down sleepily into the warm blankets.  
_How strangely pleasant it was to see Kakashi again_

The silver haired ninja dried off his hair and got changed into his sleep wear.  
He smiled fondly and the blonde young man sprawled out across the bed snoring soundly.  
Not wanting to scare the kid again he found some blankets in a musty cupboard and made himself a bed on the floor, uncomfortable as it was, it was somewhere to sleep nonetheless.  
Kakashi stretched out his long body and put his head in his hands staring up at the ceiling.  
He sighed and closed his eyes falling asleep for the first time that he could remember in ages with a small smile on his face.

-  
_  
A/N.  
Just a bit of a humorous chapter for ya'll since the last couple have been a bit depressing.  
This story is just kicking off I have great plans for it. If you like it or if there is something I should change please let me know as this is my first story and I am a bit nervous about it so I would love any feedback and I really want to know whether people are actually interested.  
Thank you.  
I know people are reading this now please don't be shy __  
Much love and thank you for reading.  
Jorgiamk xo_


	4. Chapter 4 The Adventure Awaits

Kakashi woke up feeling relaxed but troubled. He looked over at his former team mate still snoring away. A small smile crept on his covered lips but disappeared quickly when he remembered his problem.  
_How in the hell am I going to tell Naruto that I intend to kill Sasuke_ a slight frown invaded Kakashis soft features.  
(Not that you could really tell he was frowning with his face all covered up.)  
Kakashi had already decided he wanted Naruto to accompany him. He could see Naruto was in a bad place and as his sensei he felt a responsibility to fix the kid.  
_So much wasted potential that we really need right now. I want to live to see the boy become Hokage just like he informed me when we first met with such confidence for a little brat.  
_Kakashi had rolled his eyes back then but even he could see the passion behind the Genins words.  
Therefore getting Naruto to give up on chasing Sasuke and come back to the village was just as important as the mission he was currently on.  
_But how.._

Kakashi pushed opened the door to his dusty hotel room and nodded towards the blonde figure sitting cross legged on the bed rubbing his temples.  
"Here"  
Kakashi chucked a bag at him.  
"Ramen?" Naruto questioned.  
"Thought you should eat. This is what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner isn't it?"  
His scruffy face smiled sadly up at his former sensei.  
"I dunno. These days I don't really eat a lot of ramen. It just doesn't taste the way it used to, ya know?"  
Kakashi's one visible eye rolled in exasperation.  
"Just eat. And after that get dressed I got you some new clothes"  
Naruto looked a bit confused but slowly started eating his ramen anyway deciding against questioning the silver haired man.

Naruto rubbed his soft shaven face and ran his hand through his freshly cleaned hair.  
_Since when did Sensei become my mother?  
_Kakashi had even laid clothes out for him on the bed but it looked like Kakashi had disappeared again.  
Grey shorts, orange t-shirt and a black jacket were all spread out neatly.  
Naruto chuckled to himself and threw on his new clothes. Kakashi even remembered to buy some underwear for him.  
_It's like he thinks I can't look after myself  
_although it's not like he really had been he admitted to himself.  
Sprawling out on the bed Naruto spotted a copy of "Icha Icha Paradise."  
_He still reads that junk?_

"Who gave you permission to read my book?"  
Kakashi appeared suddenly behind Naruto as he had a habit of doing. It was well past midday and he arrived back at the hotel room to see Naruto engaged in his favorite book.

Naruto jumped at the stealthy ninjas sudden appearance.  
"Ugh it's so boring, How do you read that crap?. I just hung around to say thanks for the clothes Sensei you really didn't have to. I do have money you know"

"I'm never said you didn't Naruto. Now get ready your coming with me"  
Kakashi said simply, gesturing casually at Naruto to get up.

"Sensei..I am not returning to the leaf village"

"I know that. You have made that clear. But keeping a lonely old man company on a tedious mission wouldn't be too terrible would it?" Kakashi smiled that irritating phony eye smile again which was really starting to annoy Naruto.  
The newly clean young man wasn't known for being the sharpest tool in the shed but he had been around Kakashi long enough to know when his former sensei was up to something.

"What the hell, I guess It can't do any harm" Naruto said reluctantly.

_He thinks he's so clever but unless I find Sasuke there is no way I'm ever going back.  
I never go back on my word._


	5. Chapter 5 Silent Nights

A/N.  
_Hey guys. First I just wanted to say thank you! I am completely stunned by how many views I have been getting I did not expect so many people do be interested in my ramblings! It's a huge confidence boost and I don't really know how many views most stories get but as this is my first it is deeply humbling that there has been this amount of interest.  
Review if you can please I would love some more feedback and thanks for those that have been reviewing.  
I have honestly been on a buzz all day. I am so excited that people seem to like my work. I have put a lot of effort in so I'm glad it's paying off._

Naruto and Kakashi lay side by side looking up at the starry sky.  
Neither man had spoken an awful lot since they left together two days prior but both of them were certainly feeling a lot lighter, like a weight had not exactly been lifted but was instead being shared between the two of them.  
It felt good for Naruto to have some company. He'd been virtually alone since he left the village. The only conversations he had were very brief and mainly consisted of his awkward advances being rejected by women when he drunkenly tried to hit on them out of loneliness.  
Naruto hated feeling alone, the way he spent the first 12 years of his life. But he figured he must deserve this miserable feeling since he still hadn't even gotten close to bringing his old best friend back. 

Kakashi had always been a bit of a loner ever since the death of his father. Since then he had continued building his wall higher and higher. Especially once he lost his comrades and his sensei. He preferred to read dirty books then actually talk to real people but even he had to admit it was nice having Naruto around. He really had missed him he realised, a little bit surprised.

Something Kakashi had noticed on their travels was the clumsy way Naruto moved these days.  
He climbed trees after Kakashi and leapt between the tops of them but he seemed a bit slower, not quite comfortable with the movements.  
It was ridiculous for a ninja of his level to have any trouble at all controlling his charkra. It was almost like he hadn't practiced any ninja skills since he left…

-  
_"Naruto" Kakashi said, his voice calm but eye begging. "There is no point in going after him. No point at all. Don't leave"  
Naruto just glared at Kakashi defiantly, tears streaming down his face.  
"He attacked you Sensei and tried to kill Sakura. I'm not going to keep making these empty promises anymore.  
I promise you sensei. Until I bring Sasuke home I will never step foot into this village again."  
Kakashi had stepped forward and grabbed a hold of his arm. "I will not let another student of mine leave the village"  
The Naruto in his grip had simply just popped leaving Kakashi staring at his own hand frustrated.  
"Shadow clone..I should have known…"  
_

_Tsunade hadn't let Kakashi or anyone go after him. He understood though.  
"Kakashi" She had reasoned. "You know how stubborn the kid is, we have left ourselves vulnerable for years sending teams out to find Sasuke. We are not going to waste men who we desperately need here presently to chase after someone who won't be returning unless by some miracle he manages to find Sasuke. You know as well as I do your efforts will be fruitless"  
Her normally beautiful face looked in pain as she tried to be logical about not going after a kid that she had grown to care about so much.  
_

'_Naruto. I do hope you come back' Tsunade thought to herself._

_-  
_Naruto looked over at Kakashi who seemed lost in a world of his own.  
He could have quite possibly been going insane after being alone for so long but Naruto couldn't believe he'd never noticed just how good looking his sensei was.  
He scoffed inwardly too himself. _Yep I'm definitely going crazy._

Kakashi pretended he didn't notice the not so subtle Naruto staring at him._  
Careful Kakashi…  
_The silver haired ninja warned himself.  
_Emotions are a shinobis greatest weakness._


	6. Chapter 6 Danger Intruders

Naruto stretched his limbs; they were stiff from him sitting still for so long. Tree leaves surrounded him and branches were sticking into his back. The night was still and cold, a slight breeze caused him to shiver slightly interrupting his thoughts.  
He hadn't been able to sleep properly for years now but it was a different problem keeping him up tonight. He missed the village, he missed his home, he missed Kakashi, Sakura, Iruka Sensei and even Granny Tsunade. As much as it hurt not having Sasuke around he didn't realise how hard it was living in isolation the way he had been. His mind wasn't the same as it was when he left and he sure as hell couldn't put up with only his own company for the rest of his life.  
He also missed being a ninja, the adrenaline rush of the eventful missions, the indescribable feeling of bliss when a mission was successful or after he had beaten a particularly challenging enemy, the wind in his hair as he raced his comrades and being able to brag about the awesome new jutsu he learnt before showing it off to all his friends watching their faces look upon him with awe and pride.  
_Friends..friends I will never see again if I fail to bring him back.  
_  
Naruto couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had stopped trying. But he guessed it was a short while after he had seen Sasuke again. One minute they were fighting and the next minute he was lying in the dirt aching all over. "Please Sasuke..just come home eh buddy" Naruto had made a weak attempt to smile up at the sneering teenager who had made him feel like a useless genin all over again beating him as easily as he had, although technically he was still a genin there was no one in the hidden leaf village or anywhere in the world that actually thought he deserved a status that low.  
Sasuke had just smirked, looking so cool as he always did. He always made Naruto look and feel like a clumsy fool. "You're as weak as always. Naruto" he had said before turning on his heel. Only looking back once more to ask "When will you give up on this dream of yours to bring me back, Loser"? Although it had sounded on the surface as mean and cold as everything that came out of Sasuke's mouth Naruto had heard a touch of sympathy behind his voice, almost like he felt sorry for him. If there was one thing Naruto couldn't stand it was his rival feeling sorry for him.  
_I was no match for him. When the hell did he get that strong?_

The complete silence and serenity of the night was interrupted by a crack, hushed whispers and the crunching of leaves. Naruto tensed.  
_I have a really bad feeling about this._  
Hidden in his spot in the tree Naruto peered through the leaves at four men standing over his silver haired travel companion. His heart in his throat Naruto continued watching them suspiciously.  
_Sensei  
_He heard one of them utter the word "attack" and that was that. Naruto appeared in front of a sleeping Kakashi. He glared at the offending ninja, eyes narrowed and lips curled back.  
He practically snarled at them  
"What the hell do you want with my Sensei?"


	7. Chapter 7 The fox awakens

"Well well well. What do we have here?" The tallest ninja sneered. His blonde hair was slicked back immaculately. Something about him looked rather intimidating to Naruto, he supposed this was the asshole in charge.  
"Uhh boss" said a shorter, chubbier ninja. He had very curly mousy brown hair tamed only slightly by a forehead protector with a foreign symbol on it which Naruto couldn't recognize.  
"What if he's like a super powerful ninja or something?" he continued stupidly.  
The ninja in charge chuckled in response. "You really think someone like him is a ninja? Grow a few brain cells. For one he looks weak and pathetic so if he is a ninja he obviously wouldn't be hard to beat. Also he lacks any ninja equipment, I see no bandages, no weapons strapped to him anywhere and he doesn't even have a forehead protector so chances of this brat being a ninja isn't very high."

"And you think he's the stupid one?" Naruto said in a quiet, gravelly voice. If he was being honest with himself he was actually quite scared. He hadn't been involved in any combat ever since that day Sasuke kicked his ass. It was an unusual feeling being scared. Normally Naruto was overly confident to the point of stupidity but tonight he wasn't so sure. All he knew was he had to protect his former sensei. With his life if he had to.  
With a sudden burst of confidence Naruto almost yelled "Don't underestimate me. I am Naruto Uzamaki from the hidden leaf village and there is no way in hell you are getting near my sensei"  
He felt a faint stirring in his gut.

_Kyuubi, the spirit of the nine tails reared his head. 'Could it be, the kids finally stopped being a sniveling wimp? If he is going to fight I can't pass up an opportunity. I don't want to wait another two damn years for some action thats for sure.'_

"Naruto Uzamaki, hey isn't that the nine tails jinchuriki?" asked another one of the intruders who's bright orange hair was even more gravity defying then Kakashi's. "He is strong so I've heard. Maybe we should back off for now, there will always be another opportunity to get to the troublesome Copy Ninja"  
The logical matter-of-factly way he spoke reminded Naruto a lot of Shikamaru.

"Oh, your so boring" called out the shortest of the four who looked a bit twitchy. "I can take care off this weakling"

Naruto's mouth went dry but he braced ready for his favorite jutsu. He started building up the necessary chakra needed to make enough shadow clones to defeat these losers.  
Something felt a bit off about his chakra. It felt heavier and more..sinister than usual.

_Oh shit. That damn fox!_ Naruto thought to himself attempting to fight back with all his will against the nine tails chakra which was forcibly taking over with a determination he had never felt before.

The four ninja watched the teenager in confusion. _What the hell was he up to? _  
He had started off looking like he was about to do a jutsu but now he was crouching on the ground, his eyes had gone bright red and it even appeared like those odd scars on his cheeks had grown thicker.  
What was even weirder was their opponent looked like he was more interested in some internal battle he was having with himself and had forgotten about fighting with them.  
They exchanged glances and looked back at Naruto.  
A bright orange chakra cloak had now surrounded him and the cloak was growing..tails?  
Whoever he was he definitely didn't look human anymore, The thing looked at them and grinned menacingly.

-

Kakashi awoke suddenly to a feeling of a tremendous amount of chakra in the air.  
_Oh shit. _That chakra was all too familiar to Kakashi. Looking around Kakashi took in the scene around him. Four bodies on the ground had been torn to shreds. Shuddering at all the blood and limbs all over the leafy ground he turned grimly face the culprit.

It was exactly as he had thought. He was looking into the red eyes of a very bloodthirsty Naruto who now had five tails .  
**  
A/N:  
I'm going to leave it there for now ;).  
Thank you everyone for your continued support. Makes me feel really good that my first story has had such a good response.  
Reviews good and bad are very much welcomed. I will give you cookies maybe. If you come and get them from me of course.**


	8. Chapter 8 Kyuubi vs Kakashi

**A/N. In case you hadn't picked up on it this story is set with Naruto leaving just before the war starts in the canon. He obviously didn't handle the encounter with Sasuke very well and left just after that so he hasn't gone through the training with Bee.  
Again thank you for all the response, greatly appreciated.  
Review if you are an awesome human being ;).**

Kakashi assessed the situation in his normal calm manner but if you were to look closely at his eye you could see it was narrowed with concentration. He knew what had happened to Jiraiya when the Sanin was training Naruto, and Jiraiya was a lot stronger than him.  
_If I don't come at him with the intention of killing him then I will die._ _That is certain.  
_The Kyuubi influenced Naruto looked Kakashi in the eye and bared its teeth in a bone chilling grin.  
_This isn't Naruto, but if I hurt him I will hurt Naruto.  
"_Naruto, Snap out of it!" Kakashi said calmly.  
Naruto moved towards Kakashi, his frightening expression unchanged.  
"NARUTOO! I SAID SNAP OUT OF IT" Kakashi screamed this time completely losing his cool_. I have to get through to him otherwise I'll have to fight him _he thought grimly_.  
_Smiling even wider, the thing leapt at Kakashi. Pulling up his forehead protector revealing his sharingan in one swift motion Kakashi stood ready.  
_I guess Naruto's not there anymore.  
_Facing his enemy, kunai ready they both lunged at each other simultaneously dodging the others attack. On all fours the possessed Naruto crouched, before pouncing at Kakashi again who dodged yet another attack swiftly. That was Kakashis strong point after all, moving fast. Leaping an impressive distance backwards Kakashi repositioned himself and stood standing on a tree branch frowning looking down at the monster that had his ex pupil trapped inside somewhere. With a series of quick hand signs Kakashi breathed out a massive fiery ball which enveloped the entire forestry area with flames. Sighing heavily he waited for the flames to subside and watched as he saw a grinning Kyuubi appear crouched in the exact same spot he had been when Kakashi performed his jutsu.  
_He didn't even attempt to dodge.  
_Heavy concentrations of charkra began flying towards Kakashi forcing him to move. His opponent's persistent attacks followed him as Kakashi dodged but the copy ninja was fast. A huge wave of chakra flew at him at break neck speed trapping the man who had run out of places to dodge knocking him down. Kakashi fell from the tree dropping fast, he was just about to hit the ground when a log hit the floor instead. Appearing behind Kyuubi Kakashi attempted to form an earth style barrier to trap his opponent. Mud ropes rose from beneath the dirt and wrapped themselves around the foxes fiery red legs and body.  
Roaring in outrage Kyuubi freed himself from the trap and swiped at Kakashi sending him flying. His head hit the same tree he was standing in earlier stopping his movement immediately.  
Warm blood trickling down his neck, he opened his eyes to a fuzzy fox crouching before him.  
"Oh Naruto, you never have been one to listen" Kakashi choked out before the world went black.

**A/N  
Sorry for the short chapter but I did have to end it there for today. The next chapter will hopefully be longer to make up for it.**


	9. Chapter 9 Fruits and Faces

**A/N. Hey all. I've changed my spacing too make it easier for people to read. As always would appreciate any feedback and I'm glad people are still reading****.  
Cheers and I hope you enjoy this chapter, also this chapter has some bad language in it so if you ar easily offended by swearing then I would advise you not too read it xx**

Naruto lay, looking around at the emptiness that surrounded him. _Where am I?_ He pondered lazily. He could swear he had been here before but he couldn't remember for the life of him when.  
_Where's those bad guys gone? And where's Kakashi sensei?_  
Was it possible they had defeated him and locked him away somewhere and he had no recollection of any of it?  
No. Naruto frowned. He didn't think that was very plausible.  
He began to worry, pacing up and down nervously. He hoped they hadn't gotten to Kakashi as well. What if he was hurt? He needed to find a way out of there and fast  
"Naruto. You never have been one to listen" a far away voice that was almost a whisper echoed in his ears. Realising where he was all of a sudden he stood up and shouted  
"Hey, you damn fox. Fuck you; this is my subconscious you get back in here! I AM NOT GOING TO HURT A COMRADE AGAIN!"  
Naruto summoned up all his will and spirit which had been hibernating within him for so long. With a furious determination he forced the fox's charkra back into the cage where it belonged. After a long struggle he found himself back in control. He blinked his eyes a few times and tried to adjust to the scene around him. A flash of bodies, ashes, fallen trees and the final thing he saw before his body succumbed to the pain was messy silver hair stained with red.  
_Oh god._

-

His body ached all over. The beginnings of morning sun shined brightly through the trees despite the fact it was mostly still dark.  
_Oh my god. Kakashi Sensei!_ Naruto remembered jumping to his feet, ignoring the hot pangs shooting up and down his singed legs. His sensei was in the exact same position that he was in when Naruto lost consciousness, head lolling forward, his normally immaculate hair messy and dried with sweat and blood. His sleeping gear was torn and singed and his forehead protector was askew. One eye was closed and his red eye was still open.  
_Could he be dead_? Naruto panicked.  
_Have I killed Kakashi Sensei? What have I done? _Hot tears started to prickle behind his wide blue eyes  
"Sensei!" Naruto gurgled shaking the man furiously. "SENSEI WON'T YOU WAKE UP….please?"  
_If only Sakura was here, she always knows exactly what to do. _He buried his head in his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"You're okay, I'm relieved" a quiet voice said between coughs.  
"Sensei?" a wave of relief swept through Naruto as he embraced the man who groaned in pain at the contact  
"I'm so sorry" Naruto sobbed emotionally.  
"I'm just glad you're okay, Naruto" came the sombre reply as Kakashi tugged his forehead protector back down over his red eye and touched his hair vainly.  
"Would you mind getting me some water?" Kakashi asked the sobbing boy who was still clinging to him making him feel slightly uncomfortable  
"Sure thing, Sensei". Naruto hobbled off as fast as he could possibly move to fetch the man some water. While he was collecting the water he noticed some particularly delicious looking fruit hanging from a tree above him.

-

Two Narutos limped back towards a waiting Kakashi. One was carrying two large flasks of water the other one was carrying an armful of fruit, dropping some clumsily as he walked  
"Here you go, Kakashi Sensei" Naruto smiled a small smile dropping the fruit at the injured mans feet. "Drink up, I also got you lotsa fruit as well, Vitamin C is supposed to be good for ya hehe"  
Smiling at his clumsy manner Kakashi pulled down his mask weakly and lifted the drink to his lips. He gulped down the dirty water thirstily eventually stopping for breath.  
Licking his dry lips he looked up to meet Naruto's wide eyes and even wider mouth.  
"What is it?" He asked the young man who looked as if he had just seen a ghost  
"Sensei..its just…I've never seen you're face before"  
"Oh right" Feeling very self conscious Kakashi tried to pull up his mask to conceal his face. A hand stopped him. His face was prickling a very undignified red.  
"I don't get why you would wanna cover it up, that's all. I mean I wish I had a face like that, ya know" Naruto burbled grinning widely, rubbing the back of his head, a common habit which Kakashi was very familiar with.  
A small smile crept up on Kakashis lips causing Naruto to giggle. Both the men started to laugh Kakashi's laughter was replaced by wincing from the pain. Noticing Naruto's guilty face he smiled sympathetically,  
"Do you want to pass me some fruit?"


	10. Chapter 10 Devastating news

The afternoon sun beat down on the clearing; the strong aroma of burning filled the air as Naruto sat attempting to cook for the first time in his life. His diet of Ramen didn't exactly require a lot of cooking skills and lately he had just been living off takeaways and bar food. The silver haired ninja looked up from his orange book he was currently reading for the 312th time.  
"That is probably done I'd say" he informed his companion who had been running around after him all day  
"Uhh, yeah I knew that Sensei" Naruto flashed a sheepish smile back at the man who simply raised an eyebrow in response.  
Naruto fumbled hurriedly, placing a very unappetising looking meal down in front of Kakashi  
who eyed the plate wrinkling his nose slightly, his strong sense of smell was very offended by the plate in front of him. Pulling down his mask he tentatively took a small bite,  
_bleeehh _he inwardly gagged. What was apparently a simple dish of rice and chicken tasted closer to something Pukkan would probably eat…if he was starving. Raising his eye to the young man in front of him he watched in awe as his blonde comrade wolfed down the meal greedily before burping a very loud disgusting burp.  
"Boy, I didn't know I could cook eh Sensei" he grinned cheerily. Kakashi was speechless as Naruto went and dished himself another generous helping of the repulsive 'food'.  
Raising another forkful to his mouth he gulped it down trying not to taste it, not wanting to offend the idiotic chef stuffing his face across from him.

"I'm going to go have a bath" Kakashi announced once he had somehow emptied his plate.  
"Okay, do you need any help?" Naruto asked absentmindedly.  
Kakashi made an odd choking sound; Naruto looked at him confused before going bright red.  
"Oh, ya know cause your injured, not cause, forget it Sensei" he stuttered.  
"I should be fine, thanks" said the now slightly pink Kakashi who was already walking off.

-

When he was well out of sight and earshot of his friend Kakashi stopped and looked around cautiously before summoning Pukkan.  
"Hey boss" the stumpy little dog said "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you"  
"What is it?"  
"He's attacked again."  
"Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned; his heart dropping.  
"I'm afraid so" said the dog gravely. "..And the girls been killed, the one with the pink hair"  
"not Sakura?"  
"Yeah, that's the one."  
"I see." Kakashi said drooping his head sadly.  
"Anyway he is probably going to be attacking again shortly so our best bet is to go near the leaf, would you like me to sniff him out for you?"  
"Yes, thank you Pukkan"  
"Anytime boss"  
Kakashi watched the dogs stubby legs scurry away.  
_Not Sakura _he repeated to himself regretfully, his young student with the candy floss hair. For the first year he knew her the only word he had heard come out of her mouth was the man's name that ended up murdering her. How awful.  
_And how am I going to tell him? _His thoughts drifted suddenly to the blonde dork who was only just starting to bounce back to his old idiotic self.  
_How the hell am I meant to tell Naruto she's dead? He's been through enough. _Kakashi sighed, stretching out his long body and staring up at the evening sky.  
Sighing deeply Kakashi knew he couldn't avoid it; he had to tell Naruto about the death of their former teammate.  
Shoving his hands deeply in his pockets Kakashi trudged slowly back in the direction of the clearing, he stood looking through the trees at Naruto who was cheerfully washing up, humming an annoying tune to himself.  
"Naruto", the silver haired ninja addressed sadly.  
"What is it, Sensei?" Naruto grinned oblivious to Kakashis sudden change of mood.  
Sitting down underneath a low hanging tree, Kakashi patted the ground next to him, his comrade bounced over obligingly and joined the man.  
"What are you so serious about all of a sudden?" Naruto mocked, chuckling at his sensei.  
"Naruto.. Its Sakura"  
Kakashi watched his companions features drop from the cheerful smile and furrow into an expression of concern  
"What about her?" he responded gravely.  
"There was an attack on the village. She was killed unfortunately" It took a while for this information to digest, at first Naruto looked confused, then he looked like he didn't really believe what Kakashi was saying, he then looked down at the ground in sadness and Kakashi could see him attempt to hide the tears that were threatening to give him away.  
Kakashi awkwardly reached out and placed a stiff hand on his shoulder comfortingly.  
The young man looked into Kakashis eyes with an expression of realisation and hatred,  
"Sasuke?" he simply growled. A slight nod in response was all that was needed for an answer.  
Slamming his head into Kakashis chest taking him completely off guard Naruto sobbed bitterly, the older man was good at a lot of things but never thought much of his comforting skills. Never the less a gloved hand stroked blonde spiky hair for the next few hours while the pupil clung to his former sensei.  
He sensed it was what Naruto needed, and perhaps even Kakashi himself on a night like this.

**A/N. I apologize it's been a while! Working two jobs keeps me busy but I promise to keep writing as long as you keep reading****. Review please! Love you all!  
Cheers. Jorgiamk! xx**


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